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AP: "Several Year Process" to Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

So much for "right away". The process to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is expected to take "several years" and after yet another study on military showers and barracks, reports the Washington Post.

"The Defense Department starts the clock next week on what is expected to be a several-year process in lifting its ban on gays from serving openly in the military.A special investigation into how the ban can be repealed without hurting the morale or readiness of the troops was expected to be announced Tuesday by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. While the review is likely to take the better part of this year to complete, and even more time to implement, its initiation will advance President Barack Obama's goal of repealing the ban and bring a divisive issue for the military back to the fore."

The focus of the "special investigation"? Showers, barracks and a few "practical issues" ...

"The review to be announced next week was expected to delve into practical issues that surround changing the law: Can a soldier be forced to room with someone who is openly gay if they are the same sex? Would the military recognize civil unions and how much would it cost to extend benefits to a service member's partner? Would quotas be imposed to ensure openly gay service members aren't passed over for promotions?"

The only "practical" issues raised here are the administering of benefits. There are already thousands of gays and lesbians serving (and showering) with honor alongside their straight counterparts. Study after study shows morale will not be compromised. And a majority of service members polled support a repeal.

In related news: The 2011 Defense Authorization Request will be submitted to Congress on Monday. The Washington Post previews the budget. As expected ... there will be no line-item request to repeal the ban or to de-fund DADT investigations. Rep. Barney Frank and others suggested the repeal would be in the Authorization.

Also: California Democratic Rep. Susan Davis announced the House will hold another DADT hearing on March 3. Davis chairs the Military Personnel Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee. You may recall that Davis took an aggressive lead into the investigation of the murder of Seaman August Provost, the black gay sailor who was ambushed and killed by another soldier at Camp Pendelton last summer. Davis is a strong ally, which helps because House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton ("D"-MO) is against the repeal.

Our op-ed on "Don't Ask Don't Tell" and black America is at The Grio. It's being promoted on the front page of MSNBC.com.

FLASHBACK: CBS and LOGO Rejected UCC's Pro-Gay "Ejector"

CBS has rejected gay-content Super Bowl advertising by Mancrunch.com and GoDaddy.com. The network has agreed to allow a Super Bowl advertisement urging women not to choose abortions sponsored by Focus on the Family, a very conservative and very anti-gay religious organization.

Flashback to early 2005: The Viacom Networks—CBS, MTV, BET and even the gay-themed LOGO—rejected the fierce and now-famous "Ejector" commercial by the United Church of Christ. The spot showed a single mother, a gay couple, senior citizens and minorities being forcibly "ejected" from church. The ad was rejected by ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and the WB as "too controversial." It was carried on CNN and cable news networks.

Only months earlier CBS also rejected the UCC's award-winning "Bouncer" ad as "too controversial" because it showed a bouncers denying a gay couple entry to church.

Promoting religious tolerance and inclusion: "Too controversial". Telling tens of million people during the Super Bowl that women shouldn't have a right to choose: Not so much. Watch this brilliant spot AFTER THE JUMP ...

CBS: Gay Mancrunch Ad Not Within Network's "Broadcast Standards"

A not-so-surprising update to the controversy over Super Bowl advertising. CBS has rejected a commercial submitted by gay dating Web site ManCrunch, CNNMoney.com reports. The rejection letter states the ad "is not within the Network's broadcaststandards for Super Bowl Sunday." The letter also says CBS Broadcast Sales "had difficulty verifying [ManCrunch's] credit status."

"We offered to pay cash," a spokesman for Mancrunch retorts. The company would have been charged$2.5 million for its ad and says it recently raised $40 million from investors.

Earlier today the network rejected a GoDaddy ad featuring "an effeminate former football star named Lola". Meanwhile: CBS has agreed to run 30 second anti-choice spot sponsored by the right-wing anti-gay Christian group Focus on the Family. The ad will feature former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and his mother urging women not to have abortions.

The Mancrunch ad shows two men watching the Super Bowl and spontaneously making out. The camera pulls out to show one of their buddies—who, incidentally, is black—with a disgusted look on his face. How original. Watch it AFTER THE JUMP ...

Lambda Legal to Ovie Mughelli: Not Defamatory to Call Someone Gay

Lambda Legal has fired a warning shot at Atlanta Falcons fullback Ovie Mughelli: It is not defamatory to call someone gay.

Lambda was responding to legal action taken by Mughelli's attorney against gossip and gay blogs that published the claims of a man who says he had a long-term sexual relationship with the baller. The cease and desist letters sent by Phaedra Parks promised to sue for damages unless the posts were removed and retracted.

The letter (pdf) reads in part:

Although as of this writing we do not represent any of those to whom you have written, we write to explain to you and to the internet sites which you have written, that under the law of Georgia (and of the other states) it is not defamatory to describe a person as gay, lesbian or bisexual nor is it defamatory to claim that someone had a consensual, intimate adult relationship with someone of the same sex. Moreover your claim that someone falsely described as gay is entitled to collect monetary damages demeans those who are gay, lesbian and bisexual. ...  The Georgia Supreme Court has never held that describing someone as gay,lesbian or bisexual is defamatory (or defamation per se) and it is inconceivable that it would do so for the first time in 2010.

Says Attorney Beth Littrell in a statement: "Saying that someone is gay is not an insult. Being identified as gay is neither bad nor shameful–not in life nor under the law." Littrell urges Mughelli's attorneys to drop their action and warns them the courts would rule against them and award damages to the defendants. The attorney also cites Lawrence v. Texas, Lambda Legal's 2003 landmark victory that struck down sodomy laws.

In August 2009, a federal court rejected Howard K. Stern's suit against MSNBC's Rita Cosby on similar grounds, saying that merely being described as gay is "not" defamatory per se.

On January 5, an Atlanta-based gossip blog published detailed but unsubstantiated accounts of a man's long-term, alleged sexual relationship with an unnamed Falcons player. The next day Mughelli was named. The blog later published a video of Francois Sloan, a 36-year-old Jersey City, NJ hair stylist who claimed to be the source. The Ovie Mughelli "outing" went viral across black entertainment and news blogs, most of the black gay blogosphere and many sports blogs.

The 29-year-old Mughelli was originally drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2003. Mughelli signed a six-year, $18 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons in 2007. That's around the same time that Francois Sloan claims Mughelli "abruptly" ended their relationship.

You May Want to Read:
Ovie Mughelli Takes Legal Action on Gay Rumors

WATCH: GoDaddy.com "Lola" Super Bowl Ad Rejected By CBS

Internet webhost GoDaddy.com, known for its racy Super Bowl commercials, will have at least one television spot during the big game. But one of its ads you will not see because it has already been rejected by CBS. That spot features "an effeminate former football star named Lola" who pursues his dream to design lingerie.

"It’s the first time for me I’ve been baffled," said Go Daddy CEO Bob Parsons. "Usually we may get an ad rejected and we’ll understand. We may not agree, but we understand."

The network is still debating if it will run a spot submitted by gay dating site Mancrunch. CBS has already agreed to run an anti-choice "issues ad" sponsored by anti-gay Focus on the Family. The ad will feature former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam. "Whatever Lola Wants"...unless it's have a choice in life or appear on CBS.

Watch the rejected GoDaddy spot AFTER THE JUMP ...

Juvenile Arrested in the Shooting Murder of Gay Maryland Man

An update on the case of two black gay Washington DC-area men who were recently killed. Police have made an arrest in one case and charged a 17-year-old male with "first-degree felony murder while armed" in connection with the January 10 shooting death of gay Maryland resident Gordon Rivers, DC Agenda reports.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s office said Friday the office would charge the juvenile as an adult. The spokesperson, Benjamin Friedman, said the identity of the youth would become public when he appears in court for an arraignment, which was expected Friday or Monday. Until the time of the juvenile’s arrest, police declined to disclose whether they had a suspect or a motive in the case. They said they had no evidence to indicate the case was a hate crime.

No word yet how the 17-year-old knew or was linked to Rivers. That information should surface at the arraignment.

On December 27, officers found the body of gay SE DC resident Anthony Perkins. The 29-year-old man was found shot dead in his car only blocks from the Rivers homicide.

At The Grio: "Ending 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' Will Be a Teachable Moment for Black America"

My first op-ed at The Grio, the NBC News portal for the black e-telligentsia. It's being promoted on the front page of MSNBC.com.

The public face of the dismissed gay soldier is often white and male, but they're statistically more likely to be a black lesbian or black gay man. Census data show black women with same-sex partners serve in the military at 11 times the rate of women overall. The Pentagon reports black women are discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" at three times the rate that they serve. Black gay men aren't far behind in terms of discrimination. Platoon leaders such as Lt. Anthony Woods, a black gay Harvard and West Point grad, were discharged once their sexuality was discovered. Woods led a 64-soldier combat unit in Iraq and earned a Bronze Star. Woods ran for Congress last year. He didn't win, but appeared on national television and inspired countless young black gay men who rarely see themselves on such a platform.

My op-ed: "Ending 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' Will Be a Teachable Moment for Black America"

You'll be seeing me over there more often, as well as few other sites and magazines.

Phoenix Police Search for 2 Men in Gay Strip Club Shooting

Phoenix police release surveillance photos of the two men seen opening fire at a popular Phoenix gay strip club. The January 20th party catered to black gay men and featured hip-hop music and strippers. The shoot-out happened after an altercation with the DJ and a dancer, according to KPHO.

Witnesses said two men entered the cabaret and began taking with the person who was working behind the front counter, according to police. One of the men asked the employee for an application for amateur dancing night, police said. The other man peered through a curtain and exchanged brief words with the club’s disc jockey, officers said. The men then left the club and walked toward a vehicle in the north parking lot, investigators said.The DJ, accompanied by a dancer for the cabaret, followed the men and exchanged words, police said. The confrontation turned into a shoving match before both groups went their separate ways, police said. Moments later, a vehicle quickly drove to the front entrance of the club and two men emerged with handguns, according to witnesses. The men entered the cabaret and both began firing in the direction of the DJ and the dancer. One of the bullets struck a patron who had been speaking with one of the club’s employees. The gunmen fled the cabaret in a dark blue sedan.

The shooting victim was treated at a local hospital.

No word yet why the disc jockey and dancer argued with the men, or, what was the shooting motive.

Dick's Cabaret made national headlines two years. This was the same strip club where "American Idol" David Hernandez danced for three years.

Thanks to KEVIN for the heads up. A close-up image of one of the suspects who appears to be looking in the direction of the camera and flashing a gang sign AFTER THE JUMP ..

WATCH: Obama Asked About Gay Rights and Marriage in Tampa

Appearing Thursday at town hall meeting in Tampa, President Barack Obama took a question from a young University of Tampa student on the Administration's strategy for obtaining equal benefits for gay and lesbian couples. The question dove-tailed Obama's discussion of gay rights in the State of the Union Address.

The President avoided discussing marriage or the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prevents the federal government from granting benefits to or recognizing same-sex couples. Obama pivoted to the bill to provide federal benefits to same-sex partners.

The transcript:

QUESTION: All right, I'm Hector and I'm a student at UT. And my question is, last night you talked about repealing "don't ask, don't tell," and my question is what are you doing now to put in motion so that same-sex couples and homosexuals are treated as equal citizens of the United States, i.e., same-sex marriages and the thousand-plus benefits that heterosexual couples enjoy after marriage?

THE PRESIDENT: Look, as I said last night, my belief is, is that a basic principle in our Constitution is that if you're obeying the law, if you're following the rules, that you should be treated the same, regardless of who you are. I think that principle applies to gay and lesbian couples. So at the federal level, one of the things that we're trying to do is to make sure that partnerships are recognized for purposes of benefits so that hospital visitation, for example, is something that is permitted; that Social Security benefits or pension benefits or others, that same-sex couples are recognized in all those circumstances.

I think that we've got to—we actually have an opportunity of passing a law that's been introduced in Congress right now, and my hope is this year we can get it done, just for federal employees and federal workers. A lot of companies, on their own, some of the best-run companies have adopted these same practices. I think it's the right thing to do and it makes sense for us to take a leadership role in ensuring that people are treated the same.

Look, if you are—regardless of your personal opinions, the notion that somebody who's working really hard for 30 years can't take their death benefits and transfer them to the person that they love the most in the world and who has supported them all their lives, that just doesn't seem fair. It doesn't seem right. And I think it's the right thing to do.

The bill in question: The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations (DPBO) Act recently introduced by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Aetna) and Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) to grant same-sex benefits for the nation's largest employer. Meanwhile: The Administration is obviously "defending" DOMA more than trying to "repeal" it ...

Notice how supportive the crowd was of the student's question. Obama ends his reply with the same phrase he used in the SOTU: "It's the right thing to do." Via Firedoglake, watch it AFTER THE JUMP ...

Black Gay Iraqi Vet to Joint Chiefs of Staff: I'm Not Worthless

Does protocol demand the Joint Chiefs of Staff remain impassive and unemotional during presidential addresses? Joe Jervis notes thePentagon brass "lept to their feet to applaud" the president's threat to destroy Iran's nuclear ambitions (below) while they remained grim-faced during the mention of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (above).

Rob Smith is a black gay Iraq War veteran. Writing at the Huffington Post, the New York City-based writer and After Elton contributor say it was "incredulous" the "supposed military leaders watched our president with absolute revulsion as he announced his steps to end" the failed policy.

I'm a gay Iraq war veteran, and I believe President Obama has been the greatest ally to LGBT people and gay veterans that we've ever had in a President. The risks he takes by simply including us in his plans to move forward with America continue to be vastly underestimated by most people, though I believe he will do much more, as evidenced by his words last night. To those supposed leaders of the United States military who watched our president with absolute revulsion as he announced his steps to end this, to those men whose faces brought back the memories of every time I was called a "faggot" while I served and forced to keep any affirmative response bottled up, thus "out" myself and lose all that I had risked everything for, I have this to say: gay veterans aren't worthless. I'm not worthless. The blood I shed was the same as every other soldier's, the tears I cried were the same, the bullets that I dodged the same; the life that I risked is the same. I'm not worthless or perverted or sick, and neither is any other gay person in this world, veteran or not. I was a gay soldier.

In 1999, at 17, I entered the United States Army from a small town in Ohio, needing to find both a way in life and a way to finance the college education I so desperately needed to rise above my lower-middle class roots. My burgeoning sexuality was but a small thought in my mind, not really knowing what "gay" was, let alone whether it really described me, but that question would be answered in my mind during my formative years, which just so happened to be spent in the U.S. Army...

I'll tell you what serving in the military under DADT did to me: It made my sexual orientation a secret shame which was never to be discussed under threat of dishonorable discharge and revocation of my benefits. It kept me distant from my fellow soldiers, for if I were to slip up and say a little too much about the real me for even a second, I couldn't trust that they wouldn't turn me in and end my career in a matter of weeks. It stunted my emotional and sexual development as a gay man so much that I was in my mid twenties before falling in love for the first time, something that happens for most people in their late teens. It sent me into the wrong places looking for the romantic affection that my heterosexual fellow soldiers were able to openly practice, discuss, and experience without the threat of disciplinary action. Most hurtful of all, being constantly reminded through DADT that my sexual orientation was bad, wrong, and perverted instilled a feeling of worthlessness in me that took years to undo following my honorable discharge from the military.

Smith, who previously was on VH1's I Want to Work for Diddy, co-hosts the After Elton's Mocha Lounge vlog.